Business Licensing & Operations in Hollywood, FL

Every city handles business licensing & operations a little differently. In Hollywood, Florida, there are 7 distinct rules that residents and property owners should be aware of. Some are stricter than what neighboring cities enforce, and others are more relaxed. Here is what you need to know.

Secondhand Dealers

Anyone buying, selling, bartering, or pawning secondhand goods in Hollywood needs an annual local business tax receipt from the Director of Financial Services under City Code Chapter 121. The tax runs $250 to $1,500 a year based on sales volume, and the term "secondhand dealer" expressly folds in pawnbrokers and anyone lending money against pledged goods.

Key details: License: Local business tax receipt, Financial Services Dept.. Fee range: $250 to $1,500 per year by volume. Term: One year, renewable. Banned hours: No transactions 10 p.m. to 7 a.m.. Record hold: Items held 15 days after police report.

Operating without a valid receipt, transacting between 10:00 p.m. and 7:00 a.m., buying from a minor or someone using a false name, refusing a police inspection, or failing to hold items 15 days is unlawful under §121.05 and punishable under the general penalty, §10.99: up to a $500 fine, up to 60 days in jail, or both, with each day of continued violation a separate offense. A chapter conviction can also trigger receipt revocation by the City Commission under §121.04.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Hollywood actively enforces its secondhand dealers requirements.

Towing Companies

Hollywood tightly regulates non-consent towing from private property under Code of Ordinances Chapter 111. A wrecker and towing service can only tow an unauthorized vehicle after the property posts a compliant warning sign or gives personal notice, and after getting dated, signed written direction from the property owner for most properties.

Key details: Governing chapter: Hollywood Code Chapter 111. Sign requirement: 4-inch 'tow away zone' lettering per driveway. Authorization: Dated, signed written direction per vehicle. Storage location: Must be within city limits. Release fee cap: 50% of tow charge if owner returns in time.

Section 111.99 sets the penalty for violating any provision of Chapter 111 at a fine of not more than $500. Failing to post a compliant sign, towing without the required dated written direction, storing a vehicle outside city limits, or refusing timely release under § 111.05 or § 111.06 each exposes the wrecker and towing service, or the property owner who directed the tow, to that fine.

Compared to other cities, Hollywood takes a harder line on towing companies. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Auto Repair on Residential Property

Hollywood's home-based business tax receipt flatly bars using a residence for manufacturing, storing, distributing or repairing merchandise, so a home garage cannot operate as a paid auto repair shop. Code of Ordinances § 110.21(A) makes this a condition of the home-based tax receipt, enforced by the Director of Financial Services.

Key details: Governing section: Hollywood Code § 110.21(A). Prohibited use: Repair of merchandise at home. Applies to: Vehicles brought in for paid repair. Alternative: Commercial receipt in repair-zoned property. Penalty: 25% tax penalty plus up to $250/offense.

Operating a repair business from a residence without the correct commercial local business tax receipt is treated as doing business without a receipt under § 110.99(B): the city can bill the tax due for the whole operating period, add a 25% penalty on that tax, and impose a fine of up to $250 per offense if the tax and receipt are not obtained within 150 days of notice. A home-based receipt obtained by misrepresenting that no repair work occurs is void under § 110.99(D), exposing the operator to prosecution as though no receipt had ever issued.

Compared to other cities, Hollywood takes a harder line on auto repair on residential property. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Adult Entertainment

Hollywood requires a separate Adult Entertainment License for each activity type an establishment offers, issued by the Department of Planning and Development Services and collected by the Treasury Division. These businesses may open only in specific commercial and industrial zoning districts and must meet strict distance separations from other adult uses, churches, schools and residential areas, with no variances allowed.

Key details: Licensing agency: Dept. of Planning & Development Services. Application fee: $200, nonrefundable. Review period: 30 days (up to 40 with corrections). Allowed zones: C-1 to C-5, IM-1 to IM-4, PEDD. Spacing from other adult use: 1,000 feet.

Operating an adult entertainment establishment without a valid, current license for each applicable classification is unlawful under § 11.51, as is working at an establishment known to lack one under § 11.52. Violations of Article V (Criminal Provisions) are punishable as provided in F.S. 125.69. A license denial forces the business to cease operating within 10 business days of notice, and § 11.30(C) forecloses any variance defense to a spacing violation.

Compared to other cities, Hollywood takes a harder line on adult entertainment. The enforcement and penalty structure reflects that.

Tattoo & Body Modification

Hollywood classifies tattoo and body piercing establishments as adult businesses under City Code Article VI. Shops may operate only in the IM-1 industrial zoning district, must sit at least 1,000 feet from any residential-zoned area and 500 feet from a pre-existing church or school, and the city grants no variance from those distances for any reason. Operators must also submit the tattooist's medical or dental license and the names of supervised staff.

Key details: Zoning district allowed: IM-1 industrial district only. Residential buffer: 1,000 feet from residential-zoned areas. Religious institution buffer: 500 feet from pre-existing churches. Variances: None granted, for any reason. License submission: Tattooist's medical or dental license copy.

Operating a tattoo, body art, or body piercing shop outside the IM-1 zone, inside the 1,000-foot residential buffer or the 500-foot religious-institution buffer, or without submitting the tattooist's medical or dental license under Section 11.104 violates Chapter 11. Hollywood enforces the chapter through the code-enforcement process set out in Section 10.7 of the Zoning and Land Development Regulations, which can bring citations, fines, and an order to cease operating until the location and paperwork are brought into compliance.

This is one of the stricter rules in Hollywood's municipal code. If you are unsure whether your situation complies, it is worth checking with the city before proceeding.

Massage Establishments

Every massage establishment in Hollywood must hold a Certificate of Use under § 3.23(F) and post it, along with each therapist's state and local license, in plain view. New locations must also clear a 2,500-foot buffer from any other massage establishment before the city issues that certificate.

Key details: Governing section: § 3.23(F), Zoning and Land Development Regulations. Distance separation: 2,500 ft between massage establishments. License posting: Certificate of Use plus state/local therapist license. Salon mall cap: 25% of suites, 2 therapists per suite. Variance policy: None permitted under § 3.23.

Opening or operating without the required Certificate of Use, or inside the 2,500-foot buffer without qualifying for an exemption, is referred to the city's Special Magistrate under Chapter 36. Section 36.29 lets the Magistrate impose fines up to $1,000 per day the violation continues and up to $5,000 per day for a repeat violation, plus a recordable lien; absent a specific penalty, § 10.99's general fine of up to $500 or 60 days' imprisonment applies, with each day counted separately.

Tobacco Retail License

Hollywood's code defines a smoke shop to include vape and e-cigarette retailers, and § 3.23(J) keeps every smoke shop 2,500 feet from the next one, 1,200 feet from a social service facility, 500 feet from a school, day care, or place of worship, and 2,500 feet from a marijuana dispensing facility.

Key details: Governing section: § 3.23(J), Zoning and Land Development Regulations. Smoke shop to smoke shop: 2,500 ft separation. Social service facility buffer: 1,200 ft separation. School/worship/day care buffer: 500 ft separation. Dispensing facility buffer: 2,500 ft separation.

Opening a smoke shop or vape retailer inside any of the four buffers without a Certificate of Use is referred to the Special Magistrate under Chapter 36, which can fine the operator up to $1,000 per day the violation continues and up to $5,000 per day for a repeat violation under § 36.29, with a lien recordable against the property until resolved.

This is not one of those rules that cities tend to ignore. Hollywood actively enforces its tobacco retail license requirements.

The Bottom Line

Hollywood is tougher than many cities when it comes to business licensing & operations. Out of the 7 rules covered here, 6 are rated strict. If you are a homeowner, renter, or business owner in Hollywood, take the time to understand these requirements before they become a problem. Most violations come with fines, and some repeat violations can escalate.

These rules come from Hollywood's publicly available municipal code. For complete penalty schedules, exemption details, and answers to common questions, see the individual ordinance pages throughout this guide.